Posts in Category: website

A strong SEO strategy is an integral part of any online business. It builds traffic, leads, and sales. And who doesn't like more sales? That being said, we've scoured the web for some of the best SEO related infographics for your viewing pleasure. Zooming in is recommended. Enjoy!

Steve is a recent graduate from UW, and the Marketing Coordinator at Fast Track. He primarily has experience in the tech and start-up industries. When he's not busy promoting Fast Track, he's watching Huskies or Green Bay Packers football. You can find him on Twitter @steven_hoag .

Finding a perfect client can be difficult. Nothing is ever perfect after all. However, you can establish criteria for an ‘ideal’ candidate so you can decide on which projects to take. So how do you do that? Read on!

The client knows their budget.

It’s important to have a client who knows exactly what they can and can’t pay for. A headache among designers is getting fully paid for all their services. No one likes having to hunt down people for money. It can end up hurting your business’ cash flow if you have too high of accounts receivable. That can lead to even larger problems down the road. That’s why it’s very important for your client to clearly establish a budget that you can stay within, and consult with them about if there are problems.

The client has a clear timeline established.

Every client should ideally know when they need to receive their deliverables by. A clear deadline needs to be established in any business endeavor so things don’t get dragged on forever. Before starting a project, be sure to ask them when they need everything done by, and plan accordingly. Minimize any possible miscommunications at the beginning so that they can’t hurt you at the end with unwanted surprises.

The client can clearly communicate what they want.

Embarking on a project with someone who doesn’t know what they want can be a huge headache. You complete one aspect of the design and they shoot back that that’s not what was wanted at all. In order to sidestep these hurdles it’s important to focus on working with clients who know what they want, and can explain it. It helps to make a questionnaire and use other consultation meetings prior to the beginning of work so you can nail down exactly what needs to be done. Being pro-active on both sides will help a lot in the long run.

Steve is a recent graduate from UW, and the Marketing Coordinator at Fast Track. He primarily has experience in the tech and start-up industries. When he's not busy promoting Fast Track, he's watching Huskies or Green Bay Packers football. You can find him on Twitter @steven_hoag .

Every website needs a few crucial components to be at the top of its game. Some of these change with new technology, but many stay the same. As a business, you need to ask yourself do you want the ultimate website? Or do you just want a run of the mill solution? If you are willing to make a serious business investment in your future then keep reading!

Responsive Design.

Responsive design was a trend, now it’s becoming a staple. People aren’t visiting websites with just a PC like they were before. Millions have smartphones, tablets, game consoles, and smart TV’s. It’s becoming increasingly important to ensure that anyone can view your website properly from any device. If one person can’t see your website, that means one less potential sale. It might not seem like much, but these numbers can add up quickly! By including responsive design you are helping to maximize your online reach. Don’t do the opposite by overlooking this feature.

A Clear, Intuitive Structure.

Another crucial component of every great website is a clear and intuitive structure. Confusion is one of the biggest enemies when it comes to web design. People need to quickly know exactly what they’re looking at, and where to go on every page. Too much clutter can lead to higher bounce rates and missed opportunities. Don’t use too many menu items. Keep it as concise as possible.

A Compelling Story.

Storytelling goes back thousands of years. People have enjoyed hearing stories since the dawn of civilization. Storytelling doesn’t only happen in books or fireside stories. It happens on every business website too. It’s extremely important to tell a great, compelling story. You need to be able to guide every user through a persuasive narrative about your company, products, and value proposition. Don’t make them feel like they’re reading through a product spec sheet. You are selling your company as much as you are your product. In order for consumers to invest in you, they need to believe in your story and vision first. A compelling story that flows through every facet of your website is a major step towards accomplishing this.

Steve is a recent graduate from UW, and the Marketing Coordinator at Fast Track. He primarily has experience in the tech and start-up industries. When he's not busy promoting Fast Track, he's watching Huskies or Green Bay Packers football. You can find him on Twitter @steven_hoag .

Content marketing can be a huge asset to any business that uses it. It drives traffic, brand awareness, SEO, and lead generation. The trick is to avoid some common pitfalls that can really inhibit the success of your online marketing and implement best practices. So what should you be careful to avoid?

Not having a clear plan and appropriate metrics established.

Every marketing tool needs to have a solid plan and strategy behind it. Otherwise, it’s like having a ship with no compass. You have a great tool but no direction. It’s important to build a content calendar to know when/where to post. Also, be sure to clearly define metrics to measure your success. Depending on your budget, there are a lot of great free and premium tools out there that you can use. For instance, bit.ly is a URL shortener that you can utilize to measure clickthroughs. Metrics and analytics are crucial for building on previous success, and continually optimizing your marketing.

Not clearly defining your audience.

Another common mistake businesses make is not clearly defining or understanding their target audience. Understanding your target audience is one of the most critical success factors in content marketing. Create an audience profile so that you have a clear direction to go in for every piece of content. Not knowing your audience means a lot of your content can be hit or miss, and that’s not a recipe for long term success.

Not making content easy to digest.

Online marketing content should not be like reading a college textbook. It needs to be concise, informative, and compelling. Don’t write something in two paragraphs that can be done in one. Use pictures or infographics where appropriate to quickly convey information. Also, make use of sub-headings that allow users to skim content, and still have the same basic takeaways as someone who read every word. Internet content marketing is about turning a whole meal’s worth of info into bite-sized chunks.

Steve is a recent graduate from UW, and the Marketing Coordinator at Fast Track. He primarily has experience in the tech and start-up industries. When he's not busy promoting Fast Track, he's watching Huskies or Green Bay Packers football. You can find him on Twitter @steven_hoag .

Read on to know everything you need to know about pageless design and what it could mean for your business.

One of the fastest growing web trends this side of responsive design are pageless websites. This term is already being thrown around a lot in web design circles, but many end-users have yet to hear about it. We here at Fast Track want every business owner to be in the loop when it comes to new and exciting trends. Read on to know everything you need to know about pageless design and what it could mean for your business!

Pageless design is about creating a compelling story for consumers

Web design has followed the status quo of imitating print design for many years. While this is a great approach for large enterprises, pageless design is better suited for small to medium sized companies that need to create a compelling story for customers. Rather than having the site sub-divided into multiple pages, the entire website is on one page that follows a story line. For example:

As the user scrolls down they learn more and more about the important components of the business. Chapter 1 can be the main landing page, with a large image depicting the product, and subsequent chapters are important features, the business process, reviews, etc. It’s great for quickly introducing the main selling points of a brand and its products. Some great examples can be found here.

After looking at those example, you may be asking yourself “Those look cool, but why should I invest in pageless design?” Well, pageless design has a lot of benefits thanks to its simple and visual approach:

It’s seamless and easy to digest.

Users don’t have to dive through multiple page to find important information. It’s all there on one page, and presented in a way that’s very easy to understand.

It presents content in a stimulating way for all types of learners.

By using a combination of visceral images and concise text, pageless design gets all of the important aspects of your brand communicated to different types of learners.

It has higher conversion rates.

There would be little to no reason to switch to pageless design if it didn’t present business advantages. At the end of the day, business is about securing more leads and sales. With this approach there are decreased bounce rates because it is so intuitive that users don’t get confused. Lower bounce rates mean more time spent on the website for users to immerse themselves in your business. Ultimately, pageless design helps to improve conversion rates over traditional print design, meaning more money in your pocket.

Pageless design is mobile and social media friendly

Another great benefit of pageless design is that it looks great on any type of device. In today’s Internet that is important because of the variety of ways users are accessing website. It is also very social media friendly, because of the way that it allows users to share the site. With traditional websites, users would have to pick which particular page to share, but this approach simplifies the entire decision making process.

Pageless design can be more affordable

A custom website can be extremely expensive. Pageless websites can be made at a much more affordable price point than many other options. Many can be purchased for less than $5000 dollars. O at the end of the day the pageless design equation looks like this:

Steve is a recent graduate from UW, and the Marketing Coordinator at Fast Track. He primarily has experience in the tech and start-up industries. When he's not busy promoting Fast Track, he's watching Huskies or Green Bay Packers football. You can find him on Twitter @steven_hoag .

IMPORTANT NOTICE

This site is currently unavailable to European Union citizens as we work to ensure compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation. You can only enter the site if you are not a European Union citizen.